Book reviews for people who love reading, with a focus on YA and NA fiction, paranormal, supernatural and romance, with the odd bit of historical and chick-lit thrown in. If you're an author please contact me if you want me to review your book.

Thursday, 18 June 2015

Review: Lying Out Loud by Kody Keplinger

Published by: Hatchette Children's Books (UK)Release date: 2nd July 2015 (UK)Series: Hamilton High #2I got it from: NetgalleyGoodreads summary:Sonny Ardmore is an
excellent liar. She lies about her dad being in prison. She lies about
her mom kicking her out. And she lies about sneaking into her best
friend's house every night because she has nowhere else to go.

Amy Rush might be the only person Sonny shares everything with— secrets, clothes, even a nemesis named Ryder Cross.

Ryder's
the new kid at Hamilton High and everything Sonny and Amy can't stand—a
prep-school snob. But Ryder has a weakness: Amy. So when Ryder emails
Amy asking her out, the friends see it as a prank opportunity not to be
missed.

But without meaning to, Sonny ends up talking to Ryder
all night online. And to her horror, she realizes that she might
actually like him. Only there's one small catch: he thinks he's been
talking to Amy. So Sonny comes up with an elaborate scheme to help Ryder
realize that she's the girl he's really wanted all along. Can Sonny lie
her way to the truth, or will all her lies end up costing her both
Ryder and Amy?My review:
There's something so delicious about reading a new book by an author you
love, and if you've been waiting for it for a while it feels especially
indulgent. I find myself having to force myself to slow down, to not
tear through it. A new book by an author I love deserves to be savoured,
like a scrummy chocolate dessert. Lying Out Loud is most definitely one
of those books. I adored The Duff, and this return to Hamilton High is a
most welcome one.

Sonny is one of those rare but brilliant
characters - she's not too good to be true. She's average in some ways,
incredible in others, and a bit of a bitch in yet others. She's so real,
so relateable, I desperately want her for my friend.

And of
course, because Keplinger is such a talented author, Sonny isn't the
only brilliant character. Each and every character is well-developed and
full of those little touches that turn them into real people. Amy
perhaps most of all, because she's up there with Sonny sharing the
limelight in this book. Yes, Lying Out Loud is a book about friendship,
along with a few other things. Now I'm not normally a huge fan of
friendship stories. But LOL has enough other stuff going on (including a
rather charming romance full of witty banter), that the main story arc
is perfectly acceptable, nay, it's better than acceptable. It's
wonderful. The whole book feels wonderfully familiar, like putting on
your favourite worn clothes and snuggling up on the sofa. It's a
comforting sort of feeling I get while reading this, and I really didn't
want it to end. It's going straight on my shelf of books I read when I
need a lift. Thank you, Ms Keplinger.

About Me

I'm a web designer, writer and artist. I'm currently writing a novel for young adults, and spend a lot of time 'researching' by reading YA books. I used to write reviews for a magazine and loved it, so I decided to set up a blog reviewing the books I've read.